BusinessTop StoryWorld

Italy imports more Russian oil despite impending embargo

Italy

Italy has been left with no other real choice, but to keep buying Russian crude oil, in hopes to keep the country’s largest refinery, located in Sicily, open and running, and keep all the employees employment intact. Because of the dire crisis Italy’s economy is in, the country cannot afford to completely shut down the plant and lay off all the workers, to do so may throw the region into an economic quagmire for which it may never recover. As reported by the AP:

Italy did agree with its EU partners to cut Russian crude imports by 2023, a move that Premier Mario Draghi called ‘a complete success’

MILAN (AP) — Even as the European Union decided to reduce Russian crude oil imports by 90% by the end of the year, Italy has become the only country in Europe to increase them, an unintended consequence of EU sanctions against Russia.

An external view of the ISAB refinery in Priolo-Gargallo near Syracuse, Sicily, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The ISAB, owned by Russia’s Lukoil, employs 1,000 people directly and another 2,500 in related activities. In an ironic turn, Italy has increased its imports of Russian oil in a period when the rest of Europe has been slashing its purchases from Moscow, even before the sanctions. That’s because banks have refused to take the risk of extending credit to Russia-controlled ISAB that would allow them to buy oil from non-Russian sources, even if financial sanctions did not specifically bar them from doing so. (AP Photo/Gaetano Adriano Pulvirenti)

Meant to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, the EU oil embargo is now putting at risk one of Italy’s largest refineries, located in Sicily, which would deal an economic blow to the depressed region’s economy.

Italy agreed with its EU partners to cut Russian crude imports by 2023, a move that Premier Mario Draghi called “a complete success,” that “just a couple of days ago wouldn’t have been believable.”

But Rome also has to deal with the fate of the refinery in Sicily owned by Russia’s Lukoil. As a result of previous sanctions against Russia, ISAB Srl has paradoxically gone from processing 15% of Russian crude to 100%.

That’s because banks have refused to take the risk of extending credit to Russia-controlled ISAB that would allow it to buy oil from non-Russian sources, even if not specifically barred from doing so, said Matteo Villa, an energy analyst at the ISPI think tank in Milan.

Ships continue to arrive at the port-side refinery with crude oil from the Russian parent company.

An external view of the ISAB refinery in Priolo-Gargallo near Syracuse, Sicily, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The ISAB, owned by Russia’s Lukoil, employs 1,000 people directly and another 2,500 in related activities. In an ironic turn, Italy has increased its imports of Russian oil in a period when the rest of Europe has been slashing its purchases from Moscow, even before the sanctions. That’s because banks have refused to take the risk of extending credit to Russia-controlled ISAB that would allow them to buy oil from non-Russian sources, even if financial sanctions did not specifically bar them from doing so. (AP Photo/Gaetano Adriano Pulvirenti)

Italy in May received about 400,000 barrels of Russian oil a day in May, four times the pre-invasion levels, according to the Kpler commodity data company. Of that total, ISAB received 220,000 barrels a day from Russia.

“Italy is the only country in Europe increasing oil imports,” Villa said, going from the sixth-largest importer of Russian oil to the largest in the three months since the invasion.

The plant employs 3,500 people at three production sites, including a refinery, gasification, and electricity cogeneration plant, in Sicily’s Syracuse province, and risks closure if a solution isn’t found before the embargo kicks in. The plant and related activities generate half of the provincial gross domestic product and 8% of the region’s economic activity, processing one-fifth of Italy’s crude oil imports.

The refinery’s future was already at risk in the longer term, due to Italy’s energy transition to more sustainable sources. The embargo has only increased the sense of urgency to find a solution.

“The mood today is even worse than yesterday,” said Fiorenzo Amato, the secretary general of the Filctem Cgil union in Syracuse. “The industrial hub … employs many people, giving families the chance to live.”

Since learning of the embargo, refinery workers are growing more concerned about their future.

The San Sebastian oil tanker is moored at the docks of the ISAB refinery in Priolo-Gargallo near Syracuse, Sicily, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The ISAB, owned by Russia’s Lukoil, employs 1,000 people directly and another 2,500 in related activities. In an ironic turn, Italy has increased its imports of Russian oil in a period when the rest of Europe has been slashing its purchases from Moscow, even before the sanctions. That’s because banks have refused to take the risk of extending credit to Russia-controlled ISAB that would allow them to buy oil from non-Russian sources, even if financial sanctions did not specifically bar them from doing so. (AP Photo/Gaetano Adriano Pulvirenti)

“It will be a disaster,” said Marco Candelargiu. “We hope they find a solution. You cannot destroy a province. The choice was made a long time ago to base the economy prevalently on the refinery.”

Villa said one solution would be for Italy to temporarily nationalize the refinery, a move permitted for energy emergencies under Italy’s Constitution, but a week of discussions has yielded no agreement.

As an Italian-owned refinery, ISAB would be able to get the necessary financing to purchase crude from other sources and keep operating while longer-term solutions are sought.

“This is important for employment in Sicily, for the provisioning of gasoline and diesel to Italy and for our own political face-saving in Europe,” Villa said.

By COLLEEN BARRY and PAOLO SANTALUCIA

Santalucia reported from Rome.

For more world economic news

Previous Article
Cosby faces sex abuse allegations again as civil trial starts
Next Article
Shanghai’s lockdown eases, city starts coming back to life

How useful was this article?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this article.

Latest News

Menu